In June, another 12 million students in China will graduate from college. About 7 million of them will enter the job market, and the remainder will pursue advanced studies.

The influx of new workers is expected to strain a job market already defined by a high youth unemployment rate.

As a consequence, fewer young people are getting married in China—they cannot afford to. Many of them have to rely on their parents, who are also facing their own economic challenges.

Meanwhile, Beijing hasn’t been transparent about its economic data. How do we know where China is heading, and what we should be on high alert for?

Here’s the trick to understanding China’s data. Let’s look at metrics that are harder to lie about.

Views expressed in this episode are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

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Terri Wu is a Washington-based freelance reporter for The Epoch Times covering education and China-related issues. Send tips to [email protected].

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